Melody Series 1: Missing
by Unstable Firestarter
Summary: In 1992, a teenager moves to Santa Carla to be with her boyfriend, but soon finds out something is wrong in this sleepy seaside town, terribly wrong. Marko/OC.
1. 1992

Summary: In 1992, a teenager moves to Santa Carla to be with her boyfriend, but soon finds out something is not right in this sea side town.

Disclaimer: Characters from The Lost Boys belong to the WB; original main characters are mine.

Dedication: To my dad, for getting me the movie, and my Mom, for always encouraging me, she never let me give up.

Notes: This story takes place after Max is dead, and Star, Laddie, and Michael have left Santa Carla.

* * *

**Part One: 1992**

Ms. Clayton was droning on and on about the Great Depression, which seemed to be re-enacting itself in her classroom. Annabel wasn't even trying to pay attention to her history teacher; she was lost in thought as she stared out the window. She was thinking about her boyfriend, Josh, who had recently gotten his own place and moved to Santa Carla, also known as 'The Murder Capital of The World'. What a charming nickname. It was just her luck he had moved there, she had to wait for summer before she could go see him.

Lucky for her, though, that it was the last day of High School for the year. And that was why it was so hard for her to pay attention. Fortunately, Ms Clayton hadn't noticed that Annabel had completely zoned out and was totally ignoring her. Suddenly, the bell rang and she sighed, "Well, class, that is all for now, I hope you listened well and will study over the summer."

Annabel silently laughed to herself, as if that was going to happen! "And don't forget to come back tomorrow to clean up your desks and lockers," Ms C. finished. Ha! Annabel would be in Santa Carla by this time tomorrow! Home free and away from parents, what a summer this was going to be! Walking home, she sighed as the setting sun glinted off her dark brown hair. She couldn't wait to get home, she had already packed and was going to leave for Santa Carla tonight instead of tomorrow, as planned. Her parents didn't want her to go anyway, 'Santa Carla is full of weirdoes' they always said.

But she had used the argument that she was practically an adult at the age of seventeen and should be able to decide some things for herself. And that seemed to work. When she got home that evening, she didn't mention her plans of sneaking out to either her mother or her father. They did find it odd that she was quiet when she had been chattering away about Josh these past few days.

Late that night, when Annabel was sure her parents were asleep, she stuffed all the money she had been saving-nearly three hundred-into her duffle bag and crept downstairs. Hoping her family wouldn't worry about her too much; she put her shoes on and slipped out the front door. After paying for her ticket, she got on the bus headed for Santa Carla. She was so totally hyper, so excited about being with Josh again, and yet she was nervous about being on her own. It was one A.M. when she had left the house and it was only two now. Board to death, she found herself drifting to sleep. And she dreamed. About Josh.

In her dream, he told her that he loved her, then, just like that, he vanished. Through the rest of her dream, she went nuts trying to find him. She would always see him at the edge of a crowd, but by the time she got there, he was gone. It was creepy. Suddenly, she woke with a start, and, according to her watch, it was almost three forty-five. How much longer?

"Excuse me," she asked the business man next to her, "But do you know how much farther it is to Santa Carla?"

He didn't even glance up from his newspaper as he said, "About a half hour."

"Oh, thank you", Annabel said politely, turning back to the window. That long? Oh, well, if she could wait a month, before school had let out, she could wait thirty minutes. She didn't even bother to peer out the window, it was pitch black out, and fell asleep again.

She once more awoke with a start when the bus jerked to a stop. She grabbed her bag and exited the bus. A moment later, she was standing alone in the dark, and could clearly see the large sign welcoming her to Santa Carla. Taking a deep breath, she walked past the sign and into what she would come to call 'home' for over the summer. The only problem she had now was finding the apartment buildings where Josh was staying. The 'Penny Apartments'. She knew the address, but was having a hard time finding it. She was lost in thought as she tried to remember the map of Santa Carla she had pulled up on a school computer. She glanced up, saw she was at the Boardwalk, and kept going. Penny Apartments. She remembered Josh telling her about the wonderful view of the ocean. So it was near the shore-line, but where exactly? Maybe she should stop and ask somebody; she could wander around here all night .

She wasn't watching where she was going and walked smack into someone. She nearly dropped her duffle bag in surprise. "So...rry", Annabel's voice faltered as she looked up into bright blue eyes. Her own violet eyes widened slightly in shock. _'See what happens when you don't watch where you're going?_' she scolded herself.

The guy she had accidentally run into appeared a few years older then she. He was a few inches taller then her, and wore a black leather jacket with black jeans. The first thing that caught her attention was his eyes, then her gaze traveled to his golden blonde curls. She fought back her nervousness, now or never, she said to herself. "Um…you wouldn't...by any chance, know where the Penny Apartments are, would you?" she said out loud in a hopeful tone, trying not to cringe at how stupid she sounded.

"I do, actually," he said with a smile, "You're new here, am I right?"

Annabel looked up in surprise. As she nodded, for the first time, she noticed someone else, another blonde. He was watching her, silent. It was a little creepy.

"'Penny Apartments'? I can give you a ride there, if you want."

Annabel raised her eyebrows, a bit suspicious. Her parents' words echoed in her head, _Santa Carla is full of weirdoes_. But she brushed the thought aside. "How." she started, taking a small step back, the duffle bag in her hand forgotten.

"Motorcycle," blue eyes explained, "I have one."

Annabel's heart sped up. She ran though reasons that accepting the ride was a good idea: She would reach Josh quicker, and maybe get to know someone else in Santa Carla. And the bad reasons: This guy could be a murderer or something worse. But he was too cute to be a murderer. "Well… Okay," her mother would never approve, "By the way, I'm Annabel," she added with a small smile.

"Marko," he said with a grin like a Cheshire cat," And this is Paul," he motioned to the other blonde behind him. As Marko took her bag, Annabel looked over at Paul, who met her gaze and smirked. She looked down at the ground as she realized that she was blushing. She looked up again to see Marko walking back toward her. "Ready?" he asked, still smiling.

She nodded, following him over to his motorcycle. He got on, then half turned to help Annabel. She slid on behind him, her arms instinctively encircling his waist. Though she couldn't resist glancing over her shoulder at Paul, who was watching her with a hungry look in his eyes.

"Hang on," Marko called back to her as they took off with a jolt.

Annabel tightened her grip a little as the Boardwalk became a blur. She loved the feeling of the wind in her hair and she concentrated on that as she tried to calm her racing heart. _'There's nothing to worry about!'_ she told herself, _'In a little bit I'll be with Josh, safe and secure. I won't have to worry about Santa Carla's supposed weirdoes for a whole six hours or so!' _Since it was late, or early, depending on how you looked at it, there weren't that many people out and about. A couple of cars-people with the night shift of early jobs- and a few teenagers, undoubtedly looking for more fun. The ride was shorter then she had expected, and was actually disappointed when Penny Apartments came into view, then she thought of Josh and was glad.

A few moments later, Annabel was standing on the steps that led up to the Apartments. She faced Marko as she smiled and said, "Thanks." Then she turned and headed for the glass double doors of the apartment building. She didn't see Marko start after her, but then he stopped. Annabel paused in front of the doors, she half turned to look back at him. She was too far away to see his troubled expression. He watched as Annabel disappeared into the apartment building. He didn't know what had stopped him, but something told him this girl was different, special.

Annabel took the elevator up to the Sixth floor, not knowing how lucky she was, not knowing how close she had been to an actual vampire, two vampires, to be exact, Bracing herself for a barge of complaints about how early it was, she knocked on the door to room 591. A couple of minutes later, she heard a light click on and the door opened. A tired looking Josh appeared. Annabel's eyes lit up, and before Josh could say anything, she dropped her duffle bag and wrapped both arms around her boyfriend.

"Annabel," Josh said, returning her hug, "What are you doing here so early?"

Annabel stood on tip-toe to kiss him, then said, "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Of course I am Bell," Josh said, smiling, "I just wasn't expecting you at five in the morning."

"Sorry," Annabel giggled, "But here I am!" She picked up her duffle bag again.

"So I see," Josh said, moving aside, "Come in."

"Thanks," Annabel said, entering her boyfriend's apartment for the first time. She gazed around. It was a pretty nice place, though a little cluttered, as you'd expect.

"So, did you get here alright?" Josh asked, closing the door.

"Yeah," Annabel nodded, deciding not to mention getting lost or the ride over.

"That's good to hear," Josh said.

"Nice place you've got," Annabel commented, setting down her duffle bag and turning her boyfriend with a smile on her face.

"Want to see that view I told you about?" Josh asked, also smiling.

"Sure," Annabel said as Josh slipped an arm around her waist. He led her to two French doors. Beyond the doors was a balcony, one that looked over the ocean in the distance. The full moon cast a long silver trail across the water.

"Oh, wow." was all she could say, "It's...beautiful."

"Not nearly as beautiful as you, Bell," Josh said.

"You really think so?" Annabel looked over at him, her eyes twinkling. Even though she knew the answer, it was always nice to hear him say the words.

"Yes, Bell, to me, you are the most beautiful woman in the world," Josh whispered into her ear. She sighed happily.

The next morning, Annabel awoke to the twittering of the birds. Yet something didn't feel right. Eyes still closed, she patted the bed. Her hand hit the pillow. Alone, she was alone. Her eyes opened and she blinked in the sudden light. She looked over. Where was Josh? She sat up and rubbed her eyes as she looked around the room. She frowned, then noticed that Josh's cell phone was missing from the bedside table. She slid out of bed and walked into the next room for the phone. Annabel dialed Josh's cell number, which she practically knew by heart. After a few rings, Josh picked up and she could hear him laugh.

"Did you forget that I have a job?" He teased.

Annabel frowned, "How did you know it was me?" She asked, suddenly remembering that Josh was an assistant in a department store, one of the better jobs in Santa Carla.

"Who else would be calling from my apartment number?" Josh replied.

"Oh," Annabel said, blushing, "Silly me."

"Sorry I scared you though," Josh said, "I can't talk now, but I want to tell you I'll be working late and won't see you until tonight."

"Oh. Okay," Annabel said, feeling disappointed. After she hung up, she took a shower-singing loudly the whole time-and rummaged around in the kitchen as she tried to find something to eat.


	2. Santa Carla

**Part Two: Santa Carla**

While having breakfast, she decided what she was going to do that day. First on her list of things-to-do was to clean up the apartment a bit. After that was done, she decided to go out to 'get to know' the town. Something, anything, to take her mind off of Josh, whom she was already missing. As she headed for the door, she spotted her boyfriend's leather jacket. She paused, biting her lip as she thought. He wouldn't really mind if she borrowed it for a while, would he? After all, he wouldn't even be here to miss it. Having decided, she slipped the jacket on. It was a little big for her, but she didn't care, it reminded her of Josh. Grabbing her purse, she headed out the door and took the elevator down to the first floor. It was a cool day and crowds of people milled about. Some of the teenagers stuck out like sore thumbs because their hair was bright neon colors. Annabel just rolled her eyes and sighed.

As she explored Santa Carla, she discovered that it was a pretty cool place. For reasons she explain though, she felt herself drawn to the Boardwalk. Was it possible she was hoping to run into Marko again? Anyway, the beach? Probably her favorite spot. She loved to swim; she was a fish, as her mother put it. She just couldn't get enough of the water. Probably why she had such a great tan. The sun caused the water to sparkle and dance. Annabel smiled as the sea breeze sifted though her hair. It was evening when she once more walked up the steps to Penny Apartments. She took the elevator up to the Sixth floor, and unlocked the door to room 591. Everything was exactly as she had left it, which meant Josh wasn't home yet. She missed him. She loved the way his hazel eyes lit up when he saw her.

The sun had just slipped below the horizon when Annabel heard the front door open and close. She immediately perked up and hurried from her spot on the balcony. "Why so late?" she asked after greeting Josh with a kiss.

He shrugged, "You know how things are," he replied.

"Don't I," Annabel giggled.

"Well," Josh said, realizing she was wearing his jacket, "Miss jacket thief," he started.

"How many years have you known me?" Annabel teased, "You know I'll snatch stuff in a second."

"Well," Josh repeated, "How about we go down to the Boardwalk?"

"Really?" Annabel smiled.

A moment later, they were in the elevator headed for the ground floor. "Do you want your jacket back?" Annabel asked.

"No, you keep it for a while," Josh said, "Besides, it looks good on you," he added.

Annabel just smiled. They reached the first floor and walked down the front steps hand-in-hand.

The Boardwalk was more crowded then when Annabel had visited it that afternoon. It seemed that sundown was really when this place came alive. The first thing the two of them did was to go on the roller coaster about ten times. Annabel wanted to go on again, but Josh shook his head.

"If we ride that thing again, I'm gonna be sick," he said.

"Oh, come on, its fun!" Annabel insisted with a giggle.

"I don't know how you do it, Bell," Josh said with a smile.

"Do what?" Annabel asked.

"Go on dizzying rides a hundred times and not get sick," Josh replied.

She just smiled mischievously in response.

Josh slipped an arm around her waist as they walked.

"So, where to?" Annabel wondered.

As her boyfriend thought a moment, they passed by a group of bikers. There were four of them. And she was slightly surprised to realize that she recognized two. Marko and Paul from the previous night. But the other two, she had never seen before. Her gaze swept quickly over the others. One had black hair and dark eyes, and his expression was serious. But it was the last one that caught and held her attention. He had spiky, white- blonde hair and sky blue eyes. Their gazes met and she saw something haunting in his eyes, something that chilled her to the bone. She couldn't look away, but then she realized that Josh was saying something to her.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Annabel asked, looking up at her boyfriend.

Josh shook his head, "Weren't you listening, Bell?" he sighed.

Annabel blushed, but didn't say anything.

"It's alright; I just asked if you wanted to ride Big Ben." Josh said.

"Oh, isn't that the one that goes up and down?" Annabel asked, her eyes bright.

Her boyfriend laughed, "You don't like heights, so why do you sound so excited?" He teased.

"Heights are thrilling," she replied, smiling.

After a little while, they paused to get something to eat.

"You know," Annabel said when they were done, "This is probably the best night of my life." And then she yawned.

"Want to go home?" Josh asked.

Annabel nodded, yawning again, "Tired," she managed to say.

"So I see," Josh said with a smile.

The next morning, Annabel awoke to silence. Puzzled, she opened her eyes to see why the birds weren't twittering like mad. Storm clouds. Birds didn't celebrate stormy weather. Well, maybe they did like the rain. As Annabel ate breakfast, she listened to the pounding rain. How depressing stormy weather could be. Near evening, the rain let up and the clouds parted to reveal an orange sunset.

Then Josh called, "I have a surprise for you, meet me at the Boardwalk."

Ever curious, she grabbed her boyfriend's black leather jacket she had almost claimed as her own and hurried out the door. At the Boardwalk, Annabel looked around for Josh. She didn't see him in the crowd of people, but she knew he was here, somewhere. She walked up to the rail and looked out over the beach. All of a sudden, she saw a shadowy figure. Heart racing, she realized it was Josh. She hopped the rail and landed silently on the damp sand, unaware that she was being watched. The wind in her hair, Annabel walked across the beach, toward her boyfriend. Josh smiled at her.

"How did you know I would find you?" Annabel asked.

"I just knew," Josh replied.

"What's this surprise?" she asked, curious.

Without a word, Josh sidestepped, revealing a motorbike.

Annabel gasped, "Oh…Josh…how-?" She managed, realizing the bike was custom.

"I worry about you, going places alone," Josh replied, smiling, "And not just at night."

"How did you ever?" Annabel asked, still in shock.

"I was working on it even before I moved here, to Santa Carla, for you," Josh whispered, brushing a stand of hair out of his girlfriend's face.

"Josh, thank you," Annabel said, "But why here? Why the Boardwalk?"

"Because," Josh said, still whispering, "I wanted to be the first person to give you a ride across the moonlit beach."

"Oh." Annabel breathed, "This is just too much, you didn't have to," she looked up at her boyfriend, eyes shining.

"I know I didn't have to," Josh said, "I want to."

As they rode across the beach, Annabel wondered, 'Is this real? It's like something out of a movie.' She never knew that Josh loved her like this. The next hour or so was a blur to her, but a good blur. When they were once more on the Boardwalk, Josh went to get Annabel something to drink, since she was extremely thirsty after the ride. And he never came back.

Annabel stood beside her motorbike, waiting. Ten minutes passed and the thought nothing of the time. But when ten more minutes passed, she began to worry, and five minutes later, when Josh didn't return she was a little more then worried. She tried to convince herself that it was just the crowd slowing him down. But something didn't feel right. Where was he?

"What's a pretty girl like you doing alone?" asked a voice.

Startled, Annabel looked up, into dark eyes. Familiar dark eyes. "I'm waiting for my boyfriend," she replied, standing up straight.

"Looks like he ditched you," dark eyes said.

"He did not!" Annabel insisted, eyes fierce, as she inched closer to her motorbike.

Dark eyes took note of her actions and looked over at her bike, "Nice bike," he commented.

"My boyfriend gave it to me," Annabel said, emphasizing the words 'My boyfriend', "Listen." she paused, raising her eyebrows questioningly; what was his name?

"Dwayne," he said.

"Listen Dwayne, why don't you find some other girl to pick up," Annabel said, tone completely serious. She was worried about Josh and did not want to be messed with. She slid on her motorbike and started it up. She stared straight at Dwayne, not breaking eye contact. The look in her eyes said that if he did not move, she would run him down.

For what seemed like an eternity, the two of them just stood there, staring at each other. Then, finally, Dwayne moved aside. Annabel breathed a sigh of relief as she took of, cutting a path through the crowd. She hadn't realized how tense she had been something about that guy set her on edge. Then it clicked, he was one of the bikers from the previous night. That's why he was familiar. As she sped toward Penny Apartments, she considered what might have delayed Josh. Anyway, it he came back and saw she was gone, he would hopefully figure that she went home. But something still felt wrong. When Annabel reached Josh's apartment, her heart sank to find he was not there. She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.


	3. Gone

**Part Three: Gone**

The next morning, Annabel awoke hopeful. Had Josh come back? Left a message? Her hopes were dashed to discover that neither option was reality. She was on the verge of tears as she called the police.

"How long has your boyfriend been gone, Miss?" the officer asked.

"Um, the last time I saw him was ten last night, at the Boardwalk," Annabel replied.

"A missing persons report cannot be filed until that person has been missing at least twenty-four hours but we wi-"

"Sure," Annabel muttered, hanging up and cutting off the officer's words. She cursed under her breath, "Lot of help you were." She said.

She remained ever hopeful that Josh would return, but as evening set in once more, it seemed useless. Watching the sun set, she decided to head to where she had last seen her boyfriend: the Boardwalk. He would not have left her! She absent mindedly slipped into Josh's leather jacket and took the elevator down to the ground floor.

At the Boardwalk, she was alert as she scanned the crowds. She didn't see her boyfriend anywhere. As the moon rose and her search was complete, she began to loose hope. She felt like crying. And she had the dreading feeling something had happened to him.

"Lost again?" asked a voice behind her.

Jumping, Annabel whirled; she wished people would stop sneaking up on her! She found herself face-to-face with Marko. "Um, not lost, just." Annabel started, taking a step back. Strange, but she felt herself starting to relax. A little voice inside told her to be alert; after all, she didn't really know Marko. "It's just…" Annabel sighed, "My boyfriend's missing." She looked down at the ground.

"Your boyfriend, hu?" Marko said.

"Yeah, he's why I came to Santa Carla in the first place," Annabel nodded, looking up.

"I'm sure he'll turn up," Marko said.

"Why would you care?" Annabel snapped, then she winced and sighed again, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"It's okay, you must be under a lot of stress," Marko said.

Annabel eyed him suspiciously; did he seem concerned for her? And then it happened, she looked past Marko, and her gaze met familiar hazel eyes. Her breath caught in her chest as her eyes widened. Josh! And then, just as suddenly as he had appeared, 'Josh' vanished. Annabel grew dizzy, as she fell, all the lights, all the colors, swirled and melted into blackness.


End file.
